My browser felt slow until I realized my ISP's DNS was the bottleneck all along

My browser felt slow until I realized my ISP's DNS was the bottleneck all along Pankil Shah / MakeUseOf Credit: Pankil Shah / MakeUseOf By  Pankil Shah Published May 31, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer from Ahmedabad, India. As a long-time Windows and Android user, he has extensive knowledge of both operating systems and specializes in creating how-tos and troubleshooting guides. Pankil has been writing about Windows, Android, and iOS since 2021. He has written over 1200 articles across reputable publications like MakeUseOf, GuidingTech , and TechWiser . Outside of his writing endeavors, Pankil is an avid football fan and loves to plan his international travels with his wife in his free time. Sign in to your MakeUseOf account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Thanks to the rise of web-first apps, most of my work these days happens inside a browser. Writing articles, researching topics, managing projects, and even communicating with colleagues, there’s a good chance I’m doing it through a web app rather than a traditional desktop app. And because of that, I’m always looking for ways to improve my browsing experience. One of the changes I made recently was switching away from my ISP’s DNS . And it turned out to be the most important tweak because it made browsing faster, private, secure, and a lot more enjoyable. Related This DNS tool made all my devices feel more private instantly I stopped managing privacy settings on every device I use. Posts By  Pankil Shah My ISP’s DNS was holding back an otherwise fast connection Speed tests looked fine, browsing didn’t Pankil Shah / MakeUseOf Credit: Pankil Shah / MakeUseOf DNS usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind whenever there’s a problem with the internet. Most of us ins